Friday, 15 March 2013

Raphael Tuju Files For Divorce




One time Information & Communication Minister, prominent politician and media guru Raphael Tuju has filed for separation after his 27 years old marriage took a dramatic turn in 2011.


In a sworn affidavit, Tuju says that he can no longer live with his wife Ruth Akinyi Wanjare, for openly cheating on him with a young GSU officer. His other allegations are that Ruth is abusive and violent.
Judicial Separation Cause No 33 of 2013 filed at the High Court Nairobi lists Ruth as the first respondent and Anthony Ogunda, her alleged lover, as the second respondent.

Tuju claims he has photographic evidence and telephone messages of the alleged affair, listed as Exhibit RT1. Most of these is believed to have been compiled by a private detective hired by the former foreign affairs minister some months ago.


"Sometime in the year 2011 I learnt that my wife was adulterous band (had) become very abusive and disrespectful to an extent of playing her adulterous life even at the knowledge of my children and workers. While I was away from home attending official and business duties, wherein I am mostly required to be out of the country or when I am away in politics, I learnt that my wife had a partner boyfriend who she used to commit adultery with," says Tuju in court documents filed by Laichena Mugambi & Company Advocates.

Tuju and Ruth got married on November 15, 1986, and together they have 3 children, 26-year-old Mano, a pilot, and 24-year-old fraternal twins, Alma, who is studying for her masters in Melbourne and Yma who is working in Sydney.

In his petition, Tuju claims that Ruth has gone as far as bringing Anthony to his home in Karen, and at one point rented him an apartment in Ngong. Court documents detail that reconciliation efforts have failed, as Ruth continued with her adultery despite promising to stop. She further started to drink excessively and had become abusive.
He adds that they had been sleeping in different bedrooms for over one year, before the wife left their Karen home on February 8.

Anthony is said to have shamelessly called Tuju and his children inquiring about Ruth. On February 8, Tuju says that Anthony called his eldest son demanding to know how his mother was. Ruth had been admitted to hospital.
He is also said to have once threatened Tuju; a matter that is still under investigation.

In seeking separation, Tuju is offering Ruth a monthly maintenance allowance of KSh200,000 and to continue paying her balance of the KSh180,000 bank car loan in two monthly installments of KSh90,000. He expresses fears that if she is given more money than that, she will use it to "maintain her jobless young man".
He is also offering to pay for any medical bills her wife may incur.

In the sworn affidavit, Tuju says that he can bear with his wife's condition, but cannot tolerate "her young disrespectful and mannerless boyfriend." He adds that he intends to start a restaurant business, which he fears the wife may interfere with if the separation wishes are not granted.


Tuju holds a Master of Arts (MA) Degree in Mass Communication from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom. He has a successful track record in the private sector as founder and Director of Ace Communications Company and has interests in the real estate sector. Of his noteworthy accomplishments he has worked as a Television Producer with several documentary films to his credit and earning the distinction of being the first TV Producer in Africa to win an International Emmy award for a TV production.


He was Producer and Director of several documentaries, Radio and TV commercials for international agencies, public sector institutions and private sector bodies. He was also worked as a columnist for Local Newspapers notably the East African Standard and as an Anchor for TV News in the late 1980s and early part of the 1990s on a part-time basis.



Props: Nairobian & Drum

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